Admittedly, we’ve been remiss in posting to the blog lately. No excuses really except that we’ve put a bit more energy as of late into our Instagram and Facebook accounts to share our experiences. You may wish to follow these if you want to keep up with our latest musings and adventures. In light of the serious nature of the times between the pandemic and the election I thought I might temper the mood a bit. Below are some lessons learned from the road. Anyone interested in road tripping in a motorhome, travel trailer, or RV of any kind will certainly come to appreciate these lessons, or “tips” from the road. I am a firm believer in not recreating the wheel so my hope is that these may help someone save time, money, heartache, and/or pain. In no particular order, here we go:
Not all Walmart’s are created equal. Aside from the obvious varying characteristics such as size, location, and proximity to the road, Walmart’s are very different. First of all, if you’re not currently an RV’er you may not know that Walmart allows overnight stays in their parking lots for RV campers. This has come in handy a few times for us but is a welcome option for “boondocking”, or camping with no utilities, when there are low to no cost options available. Not all Walmart’s however allow camping in their lots so one needs to make sure it is allowable in advance of parking their rig out front. We use an app called ONP Walmart that will tell you which ones allow overnight stays and will even tell you if there are any along your planned route.
Gas up early and often. While on the road you can never be too certain when you will find a gas station, and perhaps equally as important one that will accommodate your rig. We’ve become accustomed to driving by gas stations very slowly in order to observe the alignment of the gas pumps for an optimal gas up. Pumps that are horizontally aligned to the road versus vertical or perpendicularly aligned are ideal, but there also needs to be adequate clearance for your rig to fit into the lane for gassing up. If you’re towing a vehicle behind this can make things a bit more challenging, usually taking up an entire gas lane while refueling. We have a gas coach so finding pumps that work can be more difficult than one might think. If you have a diesel pusher, then most truck stops have lanes that can accommodate.
Walkie Talkies (WT) rule the road. I really can’t stress enough how awesome having WTs has helped our travel. There will be times on the road where you will not have cell service and these seemingly antiquated modes of communication have proven to be invaluable. You can get a set anywhere from $20-$200. We have a pair of Motorolas Talkabouts which go for $25 from Amazon (see below).
Avoid the updraft. One of the first things I became acquainted with while driving is what I would call “updraft” from commercial trucks passing me along the highway. These eighteen wheelers create a tremendous amount of road energy during travel. From time to time I do like to sit behind big trucks traveling at a high rate of speed in order to “draft” off of them. This usually results in my vehicle not having to work as hard while also conserving gas as the truck essentially pulls me down the highway. This same energy can be felt as these trucks pass you with a wind force that can push you off the road if you are not prepared. To mitigate this we had sway bars installed across both axles that seems to really help with the countless micro corrections made at the steering wheel during a trip which might otherwise lead to more stress and tension. The sway bars are a modest investment in your rig (>$2K) but also help significantly during times of high wind and considered to be good for your RV’s resale value. A link to what we installed is provided below:
State Parks are cool. We have a price range or budget that we try to stay around when looking for overnight stays. One of the services we use is called Harvest Host which will typically allow you to stay one or two nights at no cost in a place of business with minimal or no hookup amenities (ie. Power, water, sewer, etc). These places can be wineries, museums, or even farms for example and tend to offer tremendous learning experiences while meeting interesting and unique individuals from all parts of the country. We’ve already stayed at several to include a winery in LA which yielded one of the most stunning sunsets we’ve seen thus far. For more info check out Harvesthost.com. It wasn’t however until a few months into our journey that we realized how cool states parks can be. For a nominal fee, you can stay in some of the most pristine spaces in any state with access to amazing surroundings, often times with full hookups. I highly encourage incorporating State Parks into your search when conducting logistics, if for nothing else you may find a hidden gem that you otherwise would have never known about.
Cash is still king especially at tolls. Nowadays we don’t seem to carry much cash with us. With digital currency pretty much the norm we don’t plan many stops to grab cash money. There are situations however where cash is still required such as toll booths. It can be uncomfortable and timely having to write a check to a toll booth attendant while others are lined up behind you anxious to get down the road.
Cable vs Antenna TV. In most RV parks you have an either-or situation of cable or antenna-based television. Many have coaxial cable provisions attached to the electrical utility unit that are ready to go. In three minutes, we can be connected to dozens of channels through cable and should cable not be available, we have an antenna on the roof that when raised and pointed in the right direction we can pick up whatever is broadcasting in the immediate area. One thing we have to remember is ensuring the antenna is put back down prior to travel. We have had an instance where we found ourselves traveling down the road with the antenna still up, adding another foot and a half to our top clearance which could have been problematic if we happened to go under a bridge.
Make sure the RV door is locked and the steps are in. Driving down the road with the door open and the steps out does not bode well for travel. We found ourselves on two separate occasions with the door swinging open as a result of not locking it, and the steps dragging across the ground while in transit. Nothing like the sound of your steps dragging across the ground to wake you up in the morning, not to mention the sparks flying!
Tire Pressure Management System (TPMS) is worth its weight in gold (when it works). The TPMS app we use is called Tireminder (see link below). Each tire has a Bluetooth enabled sensor that screws onto it letting us know the current tire pressure across both the RV and our tow vehicle. In all we have ten sensors that for the most part give us a good idea of how inflated or under inflated the tires are at any given time. I can also set a threshold alert should a tire experience a leak or begin losing pressure during travel. I find myself often still confirming the data provided by the TPMS with a manual pressure gauge that when combined greatly increase my confidence.
There’s an App for that. Since beginning our RV journey, the number of apps on my phone related to RVing has tripled. If you have a question or need to solve a problem, there is likely already an app that can assist you. Just a few apps that we use to help make our RV lives that much better are provided below.
Harvest Host – No cost overnight stays at local businesses such as farms, wineries, and museums
RV Life – Direction tool specific to my RV’s specs inclusive of length, height, and weight ensuring we don’t drive on roads we cannot manuever or go under a bridge we cannot clear.
ONP Walmart – Walmart locator in route while indicating whether overnight stays are permitted or not.
Temp Stick – Temperature device placed into the RV allowing us to monitor current conditions. Ensures it never gets too hot or cold for the dogs while we are away
BringFido – Lets us know which places are dog friendly inclusive of hotels, RV parks, restaurants, etc.
Auto Doctor – With a dongle device, we can quickly diagnose engine codes and determine issues ahead of seeking costly repairs
PeakVisor– With this app, you can point your phone at any mountain range for identification of each with mountain name and its altitude. Also has a cool teleport feature that shows you the view from the top.
TrailForks – A mountain biker’s must have tool. Any trail worth a ride in the local area can typically be found on this app. Levels of difficulty, elevation, and distances descriptions allow you to map out ride.
Pilot FlyingJ – Discount gas has never been better. Pilot provides steep discounts on fuel and this app helps you locate the next pump along your trip.
